The cup
A cup is a promise. These ratings, flavors, and asterisks are the house rule — drawn from herbal literature and safety reviews, written for this stillroom. Not a diagnosis. Not a prescription.
Not in this cupboard
Hedeoma pulegioides / Mentha pulegium
Pulegone. Liver, kidney, seizures, multi-organ failure. Documented deaths from the oil and from teas, including in infants. Even a ‘small’ pot has caused serious harm. There is no safe recreational cup. Not in this cupboard.
Dictamnus albus
Strong phototoxicity: sap plus sun can blister and stain the skin for a long time. Internal use has been tied to liver injury. No established tea dose. Not in this cupboard.
8 promised teas
Thin data
Smilax spp.
Root-beer sweet, earthy, a little woody-vanilla.
Thin data
Viburnum opulus
Bitter bark, slightly sweet, viburnum-astringent.
Thin data
Paeonia officinalis
Root is bitter-sweet and astringent; the flower is beauty, not a pot.
Thin data
Stachys officinalis
Mildly bitter, aromatic, a little astringent and tea-like. Refreshing when well-made — the old note was ‘the good of tea without the drawbacks.’
Thin data
Turnera diffusa
Aromatic, slightly bitter and resinous, spicy or woody, sometimes a mild chamomile note. Assertive. Often sweetened.
Thin data
Glechoma hederacea
Mildly bitter, aromatic, minty, green, slightly astringent.
Thin data
Diospyros virginiana
Mild, slightly sweet or astringent, leafy-tea when dried. Not strongly distinctive.
Thin data
Veronica officinalis
Mildly bitter, astringent, tea-like or slightly herbaceous.
Traditional kitchen and folk use only. This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are pregnant, nursing, on medicine, or unwell, ask a clinician before drinking anything as a remedy.